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Saturday, August 29, 2015

If you liked the first book in the Sanctuary Series, then you'll want the next part of the story. Now that Markas is out, Nat and Syd have to find a way to work together. Full of heat, heart and love, Trusting Nat is sure to please. I love the story and hope you do, too.

Trusting Nat

Book 2 in the Sanctuary Series

Resplendence Publishing

M/M, Anal Sex, Masturbation, Voyeurism

Novella

The key to his humanity
is finding his place in the pride.

Sydney came to Sanctuary believing he wasn’t anything other
than the runt of the litter. Strengths? According to the others, he had none.
But one special shifter seems to think otherwise—Nat. To bring out the brave
side if Syd, he’ll need to trust.

Nat has always known he’s a beta. No question. He’s drawn to
Syd and wants to find out if their existence at the Sanctuary should be more
than platonic. When he and Syd are called upon to bring back more lions from
the petting zoo, he not only sees Syd’s true potential, but realizes his true
feelings for the fellow shifter.

Can these two shifters forge an alliance and grow together or
will their heated experiments between the sheets be the end for them both?

“I’m not sure who I’m attracted to either. I’m new at the same
things as you.” Nat met Syd’s gaze and smiled. “I haven’t tried to experiment
with anyone.”

“You haven’t?” Syd’s eyes widened. “But Axl said…”

“Axl is trying to establish his dominance. Markas is the alpha
and Axl is trying to be the beta. He wants to be invaluable to Markas, but he
also wants to keep the rest of us—you and me—beneath him. I don’t care. Why?
Because I know I’m not at the top. I’m happy being in the middle.” He smiled
again and eased his arm around Syd. “But you’re his brother and younger. He
knows he can bully you. He might not call it that, but that’s what he’s doing.
You’re not any less of a man or lion than he is and no, I haven’t fucked him.
Haven’t kissed him, either.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” He inhaled and breathed in the scent of Syd’s
cologne. His lion growled within him and clawed at him. The animal wanted Syd.
Nat licked his lips. The urge to kiss Syd overwhelmed him. A thought occurred
to him. “We’re going to be needed in a couple of days when John and Markas save
the next batch of lions. There could be females in the bunch, I don’t know.
What I do know is that I’m attracted to you.”

“You do?” Syd’s voice broke and his eyebrows rose. His lips
parted, but no other sound came out.

“Uh-huh.” Nat fought to stay level. Being so close to Syd
knocked his senses inside out. He curled his fingers under Syd’s chin. “Since
we’re both figuring things out, why don’t we do it together? You explore with
me and I learn all about you.”

Syd’s breath feathered over Nat’s cheeks. Up close, Nat noticed
the flecks of brown and green in Syd’s golden irises. God, the man was
handsome.

“I—you want me?” Syd splayed his hand on Nat’s thigh. “Like the
same way Markas and John are together?”

“Yes. We’ll figure out what we want. It’s a learning
experience.” One he wanted to have over and over again with Syd. He tipped his
head and brushed his lips over Syd’s. Just one touch wasn’t going to be enough.
He needed so much more. He crushed his mouth against Syd’s, just as he’d seen
Markas and John do. The moment he touched Syd’s lips, sparks shot through his body.
Damn. How had he not tried this before? How had he not noticed Syd before? He
nipped Syd’s bottom lip, then bumped noses with him. The fumbling and newness
of the act spurred him on. They were learning together and he couldn’t get
enough.

Nat moaned and Syd swallowed the sound. Being together like
this pleased Nat. Although he craved another kiss from Syd, he broke the
connection.

“Wow.” Syd caressed his fingertips over his mouth. “My lips are
all tingly. Like I ate something really hot.”

“I
know I did.” He rested his forehead against Syd’s. There would be so much more
to learn along the way. Plenty of bumps and confusion as they realized their
needs, but he welcomed whatever the future had in store.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Everyone has their favorite (whether they’ll admit it or not), and in my “Touched by Midnight” vampire romance series, MIDNIGHT TEMPTATION was always mine. I loved doing the research on post-Revolution France after seeing Les Miz on stage. The streets, cisterns and political passions of Paris made the perfect visceral backdrop for plot and characters when innocent but inherently deadly Nicole flees there to escape a traumatic discovery and finds herself pulled between loyalty and knowledge. It brings back the delightfully villainous pair, Bianca and Gerardo to tease and torment and up the stakes, so to speak, as a vampiric threat forces Nicole to choose between her hot and heroic lover and her devotion to her family. Here’s a look and a sample . . .

Hunt or be hunted . . . A centuries old obsession stalks a noble family fighting to hide their dark secret from an ever-changing world. Sink your teeth into Nancy Gideon's Touched by Midnight series.

MIDNIGHT TEMPTATION

“Touched by Midnight” Book 2

A Wicked Legacy . . .

Terrified by her unusual strength and frightening urges, Nicole Radouix’s sheltered country life is shattered when she discovers her family’s secret— she’s the daughter of a mortal mother and vampire father. Stricken, she flees to the seductive lure of the city to discover the truth about who and what she is. But the turmoil of post-revolution Paris is no place for an innocent.

A Wild Desire . . .

Finding herself under the protection of noble ex-patriot Marchand La Valois, Nicole is pulled into deadly underworld struggles, both political and vampiric. As their passions ignite, Marchand soon realizes the lovely Nicole is more predator than prey and may be more of a threat than the unruly streets outside.

An Unthinkable Dilemma . . .

Desperate to control her dark desires, Nicole accepts an offer of guidance from a hypnotic enemy, ensnaring both her and Marchand in a seductive web of centuries’ old revenge. To escape their deadly nighttime games, Nicole must embrace her immortality. But will it cost her Marchand’s eternal love?

“A treasure trove of unearthly delights! Readers will want to induct Ms. Gideon into the vampire storyteller’s Hall of Fame!”—Romantic Times

“An extraordinary, moving and sensual tale of supernatural love powerful enough to defy death. Nancy Gideon is a bright artistic star of epic proportion in the supernatural galaxy. Five Star!”—Affaire de Coeur

Excerpt

Lying beside him, longing for his closeness as much as she feared it, Nicole remained awake until the early dawn hours, listening to the sounds of her companions’ slumber, listening to the night music of the city beyond. She found it difficult to sleep, her system attuned to those dark hours where energy pulsed in the Paris streets and the cool breeze beckoned to instincts she didn’t understand. She lay next to Marchand, watching over him, not daring to touch him, her desire for him growing as severe as the constant hunger threading through her veins. She couldn’t eat from the table like the rest of them. The scents and texture of cooked foods repelled her. She would push them about her plate, and the first moment she had alone, she would devour the raw meats she purchased each day. Even those were getting harder for her to digest. What had begun to attract her appetite was not served upon a plate. It throbbed, a rich and forbidden temptation, through those around her. She lay there at night remembering the taste of Marchand’s blood. That secret contemplation horrified and fascinated. She could feel his heart beating even though they weren’t touching, could hear it sending those rivers of delight through his body with every soft thrum. The taste . . . ambrosia, whetting a desire like none she’d known.
The desire for more.

MIDNIGHT TEMPTATION is the latest reissue in the “Touched by Midnight” series, the second of nine books coming out a month at a time with all new packaging through ImaJinn Books. The biggest thrill was getting to freshen up the dated prose and hunt for the cover graphics for this and the next seven books in the series so the hero and heroine could bring my vision to life. Kind of the best of two worlds – the hands on input of self-publishing with the hand up from a mid-sized press. I can’t wait to see MIDNIGHT SURRENDER next month!

Nancy Gideon is the author of over 55 novels ranging from Regencies, historicals and contemporary suspense to dark paranormal romance, with a couple of horror screenplays thrown into the mix. When not at the keyboard or working full time as a legal assistant in Southwest Michigan, she can be found feeding her addictions for Netflix and all things fur, feather and fin, enjoying Grammy time (usually watchingThe Avengers), and meeting new friends and readers through her GoodReads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group. Her books can also be found under the pen names Dana Ransom, Rosalyn West and Lauren Giddings.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Do you remember the first time you saw Sesame Street? Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Elmo.
Were they real to you? What about the Muppet
Show? The Muppet Movie?

They have one major thing in common. They are all fabulous creatures from the
imagination of Jim Henson. Creatures as real as the actors who play with them.

How does Farscape
fit in? It was produced by Jim Henson Production. Rigel and Pilot (animatronic
puppets) were created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The alien makeup and
prosthetics were made by the Jim Henson Company. Whether it was the clever
makeup, the superb acting, or a combination of both, the bizarre-looking
aliens were as believable as the humans.

Last summer, my husband and I were fascinated by the TV show
“Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge” where contestants vied for a job with
the Creature Shop by creating puppets and animatronics. The judging emphasized
originality and creativity, of course, but also believability.

That is the key—creating believable characters. In our
stories, our job is to create believable characters. It doesn’t matter if they
are humanoid or alien. What they look like is secondary to believability. What
is the character’s goal? In Farscape,
Rigel wants to return home to rule again. John Crichton wants to return to Earth.
The story revolves around why they can’t.

In my new science fiction romance
THE
PROTECTOR, Rissa Dix runs a tavern in a remote colony on the frontier.
Although most of the characters who frequent the tavern are humanoid, one alien
in particular stands out. Nakus. Here’s a short excerpt that shows his
disposition, character, and what he looks like.

Only a couple of customers
remained, including that no-good Nakus who groused about everything. He didn’t
like the food. Too salty. He didn’t like the liquor. Watered down. He didn’t
like the vids. Too many repeats.

He slopped some of his watered down chokiris on her beautiful
naurem bar top—the one she’d flown all the way to a remote outpost on Balderan
to rescue from some idiot who didn’t recognize what lay beneath grime and dirt.
If Nakus ruined the finish, she would finish him.

As Kiran wiped up the mess, he glanced
at the short, round Kruferian, “Need a bib?”

“Not like I have a whole lot of
choices.” Nakus swallowed the last few drops in his glass.

“Pay up, Nakus,” Kiran repeated.

“Put it on my account.” The short
Kruferian started to slide off the stool.

Kiran reached across the bar and
grabbed the front of Nakus’ shirt. “Not so fast. You don’t have an account here
anymore.”

“Since when?” Indignation rose in
his voice.

Rissa ambled closer. “Since you
don’t pay your bills unless I threaten to have Chief Kaminga throw you in the
lock-up.”

“Give a hard-working guy a break,
will ya, Dix?”

“You? Hard working? Hah. And I’ve
told you enough times my name is pronounced Deece.
You must be hard of hearing.”

“Or so stupid he can’t remember,”
Kiran added as he released Nakus.

“I’m not going to sit here and be
insulted.” He slid off the stool, tripped on a rung, and landed on his well-padded
rear. “I’m hurt. Lousy stools. I should sue for personal injury.”

“Fat chance getting a lawyer to
come here and take your case.” Rissa rounded the end of the bar. “I have had
enough of your bellyaching, Nakus.” She grabbed the back of his belt and his
collar and lifted him off the floor. “I don’t need your business.”

“Wait,” Kiran called as she hauled the
dark-skinned Kruferian toward the outer door. “He hasn’t paid.”

“I’ll collect from Fortuna,” Rissa
said over her shoulder. “She’ll take it out of his wages.”

“You can’t do that.” Nakus wriggled
and slapped air because his too-short arms couldn’t reach her.

“I can and I will. I don’t tolerate
freeloaders.”

Kiran strode ahead of her and
opened the door. “Want me to dump his sorry ass out in the street, Boss?”

“I got it.” Like hoisting a keg of
ale, she hefted the Kruferian a little higher and heaved him out onto the dusty
path that passed for a street.

Nakus rolled several times before scrambling
to his wide, flat feet. “I’ll get you for that, Dicks.”

She was sure he deliberately
mispronounced her name. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard that before, you cheapskate.”

He brushed off his baggy trousers,
shot her a rude gesture, and waddled across to the boardwalk in front of
Fortuna’s. A group of miners who’d watched his humiliation laughed and hurled
insults at the little Kruferian. That only added to his indignation.

He shook his fist at her. “I mean
it, Dicks. You haven’t seen the last
of me.”

Blurb:

After tavern owner Rissa Dix rescues two girls from a slave ship, she
must rally the townsfolk to prevent traffickers from returning. Mining heir
Dillan Rusteran has loved her for years. Little do they know that by rescuing
more children they're tangling with a trafficking ring that puts Rissa in
danger.

Diane Burton combines her love of mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic fiction.
For more info and excerpts from her books, visit Diane’s website: http://www.dianeburton.com

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Rich alpha wolf shifter Castle Briggs can have any woman he
wants with just the crook of his finger. Until he meets a human named Harlow.
She makes it clear she’s had it with rich, overconfident jerks trying to own
her. All she wants is a no-strings-attached good time with a man who isn’t
afraid of her darker urges. Castle’s happy to dominate her in his special
playroom, but he wants more than a kinky fling. He’s going to have to do a lot
more than crook his finger to get past Harlow’s fears and make her his forever.

The base of her spine
thrummed to life, butterflies took flight in her stomach, and her breathing
kicked up a notch the instant the one called Castle found her. With his hand
placed low on her back again, he drew tiny circles with his fingertips as he
whispered in her ear, “I’d find you in the eye of a hurricane, darlin’.”

“You should take your
friend’s advice and seek one of the interested twenty.” Why in hell had she
remembered those words? Lord, he was gorgeous and something snapped inside when
he traced up her spine to the back of her neck. It was a feeling Harlow didn’t
dare turn over in her mind and look at. Not yet.

“You’re interested.” He
tilted her chin up and peered in her eyes while his free hand began an
unhurried descent back to the tingling spot above her butt. “I smell it.”

“Mr. Briggs—”

“The formalities are over,
honey.” He released Harlow but not before kissing her hard, long—and it
shattered her goddamn world. “I’ll give you some time.”

The arrogant bastard walked
away and left Harlow sitting there, mouth open and heart banging against her ribcage.
“Time for what?” The words were lost amongst music and laughter in the club,
which teemed with more beautiful people than she’d ever seen gathered in one
place. She thought about leaving but decided not to let the night be a waste,
nor to allow him to think he’d run her off. She would at least eat something
before heading home. Signaling a server, Harlow placed an order and settled in
to enjoy the atmosphere. Her salad arrived and she ate as much as she could.
She was ready for her second and last shot of gin when the bartender magically
placed one in front of her. “Compliments, ma’am.”

She glanced past the server
and spied Castle talking to a young woman who draped herself over his body.
When she wrapped arms around his neck, he untangled them and eased her away.
The downturn her lips took irritated Harlow. Why did women do that to
themselves? Her mother had taught her to let the man take the lead, allow him
to feel as though he’d laid claim, and then if you want him, grab hold with
both hands and show the world he’s yours. Sliding the drink away, she told the
bartender, “Tell the sender I’m not interested then bring my bill, please.” Her
mother didn’t enlighten her on how to tell a man about her uncommon desires,
desires most considered abnormal. Harlow’s marriage was proof the theory on
letting a man take the lead did not work.

Harlow yearned for a man
who could…

“It’s paid.”

Harsh words tumbled through
her lips at his untimely interruption. “I said get my bill.” A flush of heat
suffused her cheeks when Harlow realized she continued to stare at the man
across the bar.

“There’s no charge, ma’am.”
He glanced over his shoulder and she assumed he looked at Castle Briggs.

Getting up, she skirted
stools until she stood patiently waiting as another woman settled in Brigg’s
lap. “How much do I owe you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Evidently you’re the owner
since you parked in the reserved-for-owner spot.”

“So?”

“You’re all alike. You have
money and you think you can do whatever you want.” Lord, why couldn’t she leave
it alone? “What did my dinner cost?”

“Since I didn’t buy it, I
couldn’t say.” Anger flashed in his eyes before he scoured the room. He
motioned for the bartender who leaned over and whispered in Castle’s ear. He
returned his attention to Harlow. “It’s on the house, and my apologies, it
won’t happen again.”

Now she felt stupid as she
wondered where the drink and money for her meal came from. All she could do was
mumble, “Sorry,” before she turned to leave.

“Wait.”

“For what?” Lord, why the
heck did she snap? Sweat gathered on Harlow’s back, eliciting a shiver beneath
the overhead fan as she stared at Castle.

“Hatch?”

His friend sat with a
blonde at a table across the aisle from the barstool Castle occupied. “Yeah,
boss?”

“Make sure Ms. Hardison
gets home safely.”

“I can take care of
myself.”

A sardonic smile lifted one
corner of his mouth. “I’ll take better care of you.”

“You can’t touch me.” A
whole host of female patrons, including the one wiggling between his thighs,
looked as if they would scratch her eyes out and Harlow glared back, giving as
good as she got. “You have enough company.” She didn’t contemplate why that
bothered her.

“Pull the claws in, I only
want yours tonight.”

Why she felt pity for the
women surrounding him Harlow couldn’t say, but damn if she was walking out
without letting him know just what a lowlife cad she considered him. Why did
she even care who came on to the bastard? She wouldn’t become one of them. It
dawned on her it was exactly what she wanted, and it angered her, goaded her
into acting unreasonable. Harlow flashed her brightest smile and enjoyed the
fact his eyes reflected the idea he thought he had won. “It must be horrible to
search for such a tiny prick every time you have to pee.”

“What the fuck did you
say?”

“Surely a man with balls
and a cock wouldn’t have to surround himself with so many adoring fans.”